Miami Dolphins' total destruction of Denver Broncos doesn't sway oddsmakers

The Miami Dolphins obliterated the Denver Broncos 70-20 on Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium. It was one of the most impressive wins in NFL history, as the Dolphins scored the most points in the NFL since 1966 while also becoming the first team in league history to total over 350 yards both rushing and […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 25, 2023 9:46 AM EDT

But the NFL is a week-to-week league, and the oddsmakers certainly see that as the case when the Dolphins head to Buffalo next weekend.

The Dolphins are an early consensus 2.5-point underdog going against the Bills. While the 3-0 Dolphins have started red hot, the number shouldn't be a total shock, at least on the surface. Buffalo is the defending three-time AFC East champion and has been a legitimate AFC contender for years with Josh Allen at the helm. The game is at Buffalo, where the Dolphins haven't won since 2016. The Dolphins have only won once against the Bills period since 2018, which was last year's 21-19 nailbiter at Hard Rock Stadium.

Buffalo has also rebounded from a disastrous opening game loss to the Jets with back-to-back blowout wins over the Raiders and the Commanders. As such, Miami isn't the only AFC East team feeling good about itself at the moment.

So yes, to some degree it's certainly understandable why Vegas is backing the Bills. Three points is typically a home field advantage differential in the NFL betting world. So in other words, Vegas sees these teams on a pretty even level.

But the Miami Dolphins showed in 2022 that they weren't intimidated by playing in Orchard Park, NY. In two games, the Dolphins lost by scores of 32-29 and 34-31, the first of which ended on a last-second field goal by Tyler Bass after Miami had a 29-21 fourth quarter lead and the latter of which saw the Dolphins playing with Skylar Thompson behind a patchwork offensive line.

In other words, this is a team that almost pulled off a win last year that is now coming in playing with as much confidence as any team could possibly be. The Dolphins' biggest 2022 weakness – its offensive line – looks like a major strength so far this year. And the offense that put up 70 should be getting back speedster WR Jaylen Waddle to add into the mix.

It might be understandable why Vegas put out the line that they did based on history, and that last week technically doesn't matter this week. However, last week told a story. That the Miami Dolphins are a very, very good football team – as good as any in the NFL – and will take a spectacular effort from any team to knock them off.

You can at least bet on that.